Mickey Whelan has warmly welcomed the decision by veteran Dublin duo Ciaran Whelan and Jason Sherlock to commit themselves to the cause for another year. The new Dublin selector said: "Good players are good players and they are not too easily replaced. "In my time (as St. Vincent's manager) I kept (Tony) Hanahoe on board and won championships with him and Pat (Gilroy) on board when people might have thought that he was past his sell-by date. "I think that age brings experience and it is often the key factor, the know-how in a game, knowing when 'this game is going away from us' or 'this game is there to be taken now'. That's where your experience comes in and you cannot buy that." The veteran coach, who guided St. Vincent's to an All-Ireland club title last March, feels Dublin have been unlucky not to lift the Sam Maguire in recent times. "I think the last management did a phenomenal job despite the criticism they got going along the way and we know that we will get criticism," he added. "I believe that had they got a break here and there the last time, they would have gone further and I know also, I have won every honour in the game, and I know that without luck I wouldn't have won any. "You need the break and if we get that break, well then who knows. We can only do our work, pick the best people we feel are there and only work and facilitate them as best we can. If the breaks come, then you take them." Tweet

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